Dancing Astronaut’s ‘Best of CRSSD’ Fall 2017 edition

CRSSD Festival has become a veritable institution of California’s flourishing electronic music landscape. The bi-annual festival, produced by FNGRS CRSSD, consistently curates some of the more forward-thinking lineups around, as evidenced by bookings this year like Mathew Jonson, Marcel Dettmann and more.

Combined with its gorgeous backdrop of Waterfront Park, CRSSD has found its formula, and it’s hard to find fault. With the fall edition having freshly wrapped up, Dancing Astronaut has selected five highlights from the weekend.

Photo credit: Mike Selsky

CRSSD and Redbull Curates host first-ever CRSSD Xpress

Prior to gates opening this year, CRSSD, in partnership with Redbull Curates, hosted the first-ever CRSSD Xpress: a futuristic party train transporting guests from LA’s Union Station to San Diego. Converting two private Amtrak carriages into fully-furnished hangout spots — including live jazz, cocktail bars, and futuristic light therapy — the train provided a standout experience for select CRSSD guests before the festival even began. What’s more, the train featured performances from both Patrick Topping and Latmun, the latter of which was captured live by Mixmag.

Ultimately, the event epitomized Red Bull’s ability to curate experiences in unlikely locations. A three-hour party train hosting some of the underground’s finest DJs is certainly a first in our book.

Photo credit: Felicia Garcia

Richie Hawtin’s ENTER. Sake Bar

Richie Hawtin’s love for sake is no secret. In fact, it’s one of the cornerstones of his global ENTER. brand. In celebration of World Sake Day, Hawtin hosted a pop-up sake bar on Sunday of CRSSD. With high quality sake on tap, Hawtin arrived for a meet and greet with fans. While CRSSD’s craft beer selection has always been a staple of the festival, the pop-up sake bar proved a welcome addition to the festival’s experiential offerings.

What’s more, in a brief conversation with Hawtin, the Canadian veteran confirmed to Dancing Astronaut his plans for a revamped ‘Close’ show, including all new production and technology. More information to come on that soon.

Photo credit: Julian Bajsel

Bedouin and Mathew Jonson

There’s a certain exotic charm to Bedouin’s music that makes their performances downright spell-binding. While their music can often be a bit sedative or soporific in the home listening environment, with a proper sound system at their disposal, their creations take on a mesmerizing energy. Though playing just a one hour set at 4pm on Sunday, their performance proved an easy highlight from the weekend.

Mathew Jonson Live was a rare treat at CRSSD, and unequivocally one of the more praise-worthy bookings from the FNGRS CRSSD team over the years. The analog virtuoso brought his beautifully erratic style to the City Steps stage, providing a welcome change of pace from the more traditional house and techno sets that pervaded the weekend.

Photo credit: Felicia Garcia

RUFUS Du Sol draw the biggest crowd of the weekend

Rufus Du Sol were the biggest attraction of CRSSD’s Fall edition, and for good reason: their feel-good blend of live electronic music is the perfect match for the festival’s dreamy outdoor setting. Coupled with an indie dance-leaning, deep house-savvy demographic, and it’s no surprise that the crowd came out in thousands for their headlining set on Saturday night.

One thing that sets Rufus apart is their consistency. Fans largely know what to expect, with Bloom still holding strong nearly two years later, yet that’s part of the draw: a sea of people singing to “Like an Animal,” or a thousand hearts melting to “Innerbloom.”

Photo credit: Julian Bajsel

Richie Hawtin reaffirms his legendary status

When Richie Hawtin is on his game, there’s few in the world who can match him. Sunday night was one of those nights. For two hours, Hawtin provided a masterclass on the City Steps stage, offering a bold, brilliant showcase of his abilities.

What became readily apparent throughout Hawtin’s set was his unparalleled control of dynamics. Through dexterous EQ precious, volume manipulation, and filter work, Richie created the auditory illusion of each successive drop sounding more impactful. Combined with his live drum programming and unabashed improvisation, it was the kind of techno set capable of turning new fans of the genre into dedicated zealots.